The Bead Spot

Kids Facemasks Made by My Mom At the beginning of the pandemic, back when everyone was fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitizer, I found a mask pattern online and bought several fat quarters and sewing supplies. I planned to make masks and hand them out to my family. But I am no pro at sewing. I wasn't even sure I bought the right stuff. Additionally, my full-size machine isn't usable, so I dragged out a mini sewing machine I bought at Aldi to use on my first mask. Two hours in, I was so frustrated that I just left it a little less than half finished. I've been telling myself for months that I would complete at least the one mask. Maybe one day. My mom is much, much more skilled at using a sewing machine. She has easily made 50 or so masks, and kept cranking them out long after every member of our family had one and at least one backup. So, I think I might work on a few lanyards. My supervisor at work gave me a lanyard to use for putting my face mask on as needed at wo...

Last fall, my mom beaded some hair bun accessories in the netting technique. She first made these probably 20 years or so ago, but she has focused on mostly earrings, headdresses, and barrettes for several years. What a happy surprise to see them after this much time! If only I could make a decent bun show that I could show them properly. A couple of months ago, one of my co-workers wore her hair in a smooth, full, absolutely perfect bun. I told her I was envious; the buns I make, whether in my own hair on in my daughter’s, always come out sloppy and lopsided. My co-worker said she uses a sock to make hers look fuller and more uniform. That's something for me to google — how to use a sock to create a perfect hair bun — and then I can retake the photos of my mom’s hair bun covers for my Etsy store. My daughter, age 8, loves these, by the way. She insisted on wearing one to school, and I reluctantly allowed it. I envisioned her coming home with the whole thing nothing...

Pixabay.com It's too late to begin Thanksgiving projects for this year, but I've been looking around Pinterest for a few ideas for next year and making note of my favorites for inspiration. I'm thankful for each and every one, because they all give me ideas for my own projects. Here are just some of the ones I've found that made me smile: Beaded pilgrims on Pinterest.  These are some of the first ones I saw, and I just thought they were so adorable. Beaded pumpkin pie earrings , also on Pinterest. How clever! I think this is the first time I have ever seen pumpkin pie earrings. Turkey charms for a necklace and matching earrings. I haven't bought this pattern, so I don't know for certain that it uses double-hole Czech beads, but I think that's what it is. I love the colors of the turkey feathers and the layered looked. Turkey brooch pin . This might just be the cutest turkey I've seen today. I never think about making brooches. Perhaps I sho...

Feather earrings A few months ago, I had big plans for this holiday season. I wanted to spend at least thirty minutes every night from October 1 on working on holiday-themed beaded jewelry to list on my Etsy store. Funny how I keep making plans like that then don't follow through for various reasons. Rather than make excuses for the umpteenth time, though, I am just going to try to get myself on a regular schedule for everything from time posting for this and my other blogs to making some progress on my beading plans. I plan to get a few pairs of the feather style earrings up on my Etsy shop, and then I might do some other earrings and necklaces with a holiday theme, maybe Santas or Christmas trees. Time to get to work.

My husband and I have had some marathon TV sessions over the last couple of days, catching up on season 2 of Netflix's Ozark and giving Hulu's Light as a Feather a shot. We still have a couple of episodes of Light as a Feather to go, and I'm really enjoying it. It puts me in a Halloween kind of mood. While we're watching, I've been beading. So far, I've made one and a half pairs of feather earrings, and I can't be sure, but I think I might be getting a little faster at it. Or maybe it just seems that way because binge watching seems to make the time go faster. Once I get the second pair of earrings completely finished, I will list them and a couple of bracelets in my Etsy store in hopes of getting a few holiday sales. Fingers crossed. Do you binge watch while beading? What shows do you like?

Two pairs. That’s the answer to the question I asked myself last week, “How many beaded earrings can I make before Saturday?” That’s only half the pairs I’d hoped to make, but I’m not complaining. To reach my goal, I would’ve had to bead twice as quickly, and beading fast leaves me with nothing but tangled string and little patience. I made both pairs in the feather shape I’ve used several times before. I had hoped to come up with a new pattern, but, in the interest of getting earrings made in a hurry — I don’t come up with new ideas quickly at all — I stuck with what I know. I just used colors I hadn’t before. One set was pink and white, the other gold and black. But guess what? Both pairs sold at the festival last weekend! Yay! I wish I’d taken photos so I could include them here. I am encouraged by the speed at which they sold, so even though I’ve been trying to come up with a fresh idea, I think I’ll make more of the same earrings. Then I’ll list them at my Etsy stor...

Feather earrings, made by me in 2017. How many pairs of earrings can I make before Saturday? That's the question I'm going to try to answer in the next couple of days. I've been focused on bracelets for months, but I'm shifting gears. Today, I was talking with an aunt who also does beadwork, and she sells a lot of it. I asked her what sells the best; she said earrings. With that in mind and with an arts and crafts festival coming up Saturday, I'm going to see how many pairs I can churn out this week, then see if they sell. If they do, I may try to make even more for the holiday season to sell in my Etsy store, Beadwork and Woodwinds .